NORMAL, Ill. – The Drake volleyball team began its weekend in the Land of Lincoln with a convincing sweep over the Illinois State Redbirds on Friday night from CEFCU Arena.
The Bulldogs were out to a fast start to open the first set winning the first three points, which were all attributed to
Kacia Brown and
Bliss Beck. The duo scored the first tally with a combo block and then followed up with a kill each to set the tone for Drake. After Illinois State fought to bring the score back even at 6-6, Drake used a 3-0 run to gain some separation and never lost the lead from there. Another 3-0 scoring spurt from the Bulldogs moments later, featuring another pair of kills by Brown and Beck, led them into the media timeout up 15-10. The latter half of the frame was owned by Drake as it extended its lead out to 20-12 following a
Macy Daufeldt kill and eventually went on to win the set by double-digits, 25-15.
The second set was much closer as the two sides went back-and-forth the whole way. With the score tied at 8-8 after another combo block by Brown and Beck, the Redbirds went on to win seven of the next 10 points to gain a slight edge over the Bulldogs at the media timeout, 15-12. When play resumed, the Bulldogs flipped the momentum to their side with a key 4-0 run to jump in front of Illinois State, 19-17. Down the stretch, the back-and-forth action continued, and the teams drew even at 21-21 and then again at 22-22. Drake, however, went to the steady hand of Daufeldt in the end to carry them to the set victory, 25-22.
In the third, the Bulldogs found themselves facing their largest deficit of the night in the early goings as a 6-0 run propelled Illinois State out to a 10-6 lead. Just past the halfway mark, however, Drake chipped away at the deficit and used a 4-0 run of its own, capped by an
Emily Lisi kill, to draw even at 14-14. Following an Illinois State timeout, Drake rattled off another run, this time a 5-0 streak, highlighted by two kills from Daufeldt and a service ace by Brown, to pull ahead, 19-15. The Bulldogs remained in front the rest of the way and the set ended on an ISU attack error to close out the frame, 25-22, and the match, 3-0.
"I was really proud of how our team performed tonight," Drake head coach
Darrin McBroom said. "They performed really well against a strong and athletic Illinois State team. We are making some good progress."
Three Bulldogs tallied double-double performances on the night in Daufeldt, Brown, and
Addison Beagle. Daufeldt led the team with 13 kills, while Brown was not far behind with 11. The pair also recorded 15 kills apiece, which marked the most on the team as well. Beagle, meanwhile, recorded her double-double with 20 assists and 10 digs. Freshman
Katie Quick recorded 12 assists and eight digs for another solid performance by a Bulldog.
Drake will be back on the court tomorrow afternoon with a matchup from Peoria, Illinois against Bradley. First serve with the Braves is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT.
